Time Estimation in Software Testing: Best Practices + Free Template — aqua cloud (2024)

So, which factors can sway your expectations? Our senior testers unanimously agreed that several variables can impact your ability to estimate testing time accurately. Here are some of the key factors to consider:

1. Complexity of the project: The more intricate the software, the longer it takes to test. Consider the number of features, integrations, and dependencies when estimating.
2. Team expertise: Your QA team’s skill level and experience play a significant role. A team of seasoned testers may complete tasks faster than a less experienced one.
3. Testing environment: The availability and stability of the testing environment can affect your estimates. Frequent setup issues can lead to delays.
4. Scope changes: Be prepared for changes in project scope. Additional features or bug discoveries can extend your testing timeline.
5. Resource availability: Limited resources, such as test devices or automated testing tools, can slow down the testing process.

Knowing the factors you should consider in the QA time estimation model, let’s dive into the list of the best tips for test time estimation.

Our seasoned testers shared valuable tips for making more accurate QA time estimations:

1. Break down tasks: Divide testing into smaller, manageable tasks. This helps you estimate each component more accurately.
2. Use historical data: Review past projects and their testing timelines. Historical data provides valuable insights for estimation.
3. Consult with the team: Collaborate with your QA team members to gain different perspectives and insights into potential challenges.
4. Account for contingencies: Always include buffer time for unexpected issues or delays that may arise during testing.
5. Review and adjust: Continuously evaluate your estimations. If you consistently underestimate or overestimate, learn from it and adapt your approach.

Sounds more systematic and feels less overwhelmed, doesn’t it? If you are still in the dark about how to estimate testing time, do not worry, our senior testers equip you with everything you need, including the ready-made template.

What stages should you consider in your time estimates? This is one of the most important aspects to consider when estimating time, and our senior testers are here just to help you with that.

As we navigate the software testing time estimation world, it’s crucial to recognise that this process is more than just a single calculation but a multi-faceted journey. Here are the essentials to consider in the various stages of testing when estimating testing time:

1. Test Planning: Time spent on test strategy development, test case design, and environment setup.
2. Test Execution: The actual process of running test cases and identifying defects.
3. Defect Management: Time allocated for logging, tracking, and retesting defects.
4. Regression Testing: Ensuring that new changes haven’t broken existing functionality.
5. Documentation: Time spent on documenting test results, reports, and test closure activities.

As we explore the diverse stages of software testing, it becomes evident that estimating testing time is a comprehensive process. Each stage contributes to the success of your project, and accurate time estimation is the compass that guides you through this intricate journey. Now, armed with a deeper understanding of these testing phases, let’s equip ourselves with a practical tool to streamline our efforts – the software testing time estimation template.

Poker planning is an amazing technique to handle individual anxiety about giving high estimates. At the beginning of the planning session, everyone gets a dozen cards that have the number of hours to complete the task on them. When the project manager reads out a ticket, everyone shares their thoughts on how it should be tackled. The general sequence of work, the number of specialists involved, and potential blockers are just some of the aspects that you should bring up.

After the discussion, everyone on the team shows a card with what they believe is the required number of hours. Some people would usually have higher estimates than others, but that’s the point of the exercise. Have another round of discussion where people with higher/lower cards convince their teammates to change their minds. Ultimately, you will reach a consensus and move on to the next story to go through the same steps.

Linda Hoff, the Test & Release Management at Qlik, points out vital requirements for successive poker planning:

To empower your journey into the software testing time estimation world, we present you with a powerful software testing time estimation template. Picture it as your trusty compass on a quest for precision and efficiency in QA. This QA time estimation template will help you easily navigate through software development, including the following elements:

1. Project Name:
2. Testing Start Date:
3. Testing End Date:
4. Project Complexity (Low/Medium/High):
5. QA Team Expertise Level (Junior/Intermediate/Senior):
6. Testing Environment Stability (Stable/Unstable):
7. Planned Scope Changes (Yes/No):
8. Resource Availability (Adequate/Limited):
9. Historical Data Review (Yes/No):
10. Contingency Buffer (%):

With this template, you can systematically evaluate the project’s specifics and make more accurate software testing time estimations. As you fill in these elements, you’ll find that your journey becomes clearer, more controlled, and filled with the promise of project success. And with almost no effort, all you need to do is to personalise it. How cool is that?

Now that we’ve summarised and structured the most valuable strategies for you, the true masters of the craft – our senior testers are eager to impart their expertise directly to you. You’re in for a treat, as our experts have lined up to offer their invaluable insights and advice.

Another major benefit of poker planning is giving agency to everyone on the team. This is essential for adopting and observing the Scrum methodology in software testing. When a task involves several employees at different stages, you want to at least hear the pessimist out.

Alternatively, you can use the three-point estimation technique. While far less engaging, it covers a range of potential outcomes. You simply boot up your issue tracking system and look at the actual hours it took you to complete the task

Estimating QA testing time is tricky on multiple levels. The same task can take a different amount of hours even for two QA specialists of the same seniority. In that sense, tight sprint planning will be disrupted pretty fast. It’s a matter of when, not if you will start to miss deadlines on certain tasks.

Prioritisation helps you see which tasks you’ll be the least sorry to be late on. Looking at the fixed number of hours, however, can still cloud your judgement. Here’s a neat piece of advice we got in our Linkedin software testing community from test engineer and YouTube author Karen Todd.

‘We're Agile, so we use story points for estimation. QA time isn't directly estimated, but I can tell when a story has a lot of potential for the back-and-forth with the devs. When that happens, I encourage them to estimate higher and allow ample time for testing/retesting. It works well for my team.’

chicagodetroit, a /r/QualityAssurance user

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‘I will usually ask "how much time can I have?" and I will try to determine if I could achieve adequate coverage in the time they give me to test. If my coverage will be poor or if I find a lot of bugs while testing, I try to assess risk and communicate risk to stakeholders. I let them decide if they want to give me more time or not. This keeps me from getting boxed by promises I cannot keep. In my experience, testing usually gets the short end of the project-schedule stick.’

acrobaticOccasion, a /r/QualityAssurance user,

‘When we get a big story, we try to break it into testable chunks and estimate those. Once the devs start working on it, they may find complications that can cause scope creep or just simply take longer than planned. If we get into that situation, the devs meet and discuss, and re-estimate the remaining work. This also works well: learn, readjust, and learn some more.’

chicagodetroit, a /r/QualityAssurance user

To empower your journey into the software testing time estimation world, we present you with a powerful software testing time estimation template. Picture it as your trusty compass on a quest for precision and efficiency in QA. This QA time estimation template will help you easily navigate through software development, including the following elements:

1. Project Name:
2. Testing Start Date:
3. Testing End Date:
4. Project Complexity (Low/Medium/High):
5. QA Team Expertise Level (Junior/Intermediate/Senior):
6. Testing Environment Stability (Stable/Unstable):
7. Planned Scope Changes (Yes/No):
8. Resource Availability (Adequate/Limited):
9. Historical Data Review (Yes/No):
10. Contingency Buffer (%):

With this template, you can systematically evaluate the project’s specifics and make more accurate software testing time estimations. As you fill in these elements, you’ll find that your journey becomes clearer, more controlled, and filled with the promise of project success. And with almost no effort, all you need to do is to personalise it. How cool is that?

Now that we’ve summarised and structured the most valuable strategies for you, the true masters of the craft – our senior testers are eager to impart their expertise directly to you. You’re in for a treat, as our experts have lined up to offer their invaluable insights and advice.

Estimation models in software testing are a very fun topic to explore. You can pretend time isn’t real, work as if time is not constant (which it is not in software development), or even reject the notion altogether. Whatever software testing estimation technique you use, giving more agency to testers and involving other stakeholders goes a long way.

You can also make estimates less of a problem if you reduce the amount of unpredictable work. This includes manual test generation, as you don’t fully know how many tests you need to fully cover a requirement. The time to make a test can differ quite a bit depending on the complexity, too.

The solution here is to bring in artificial intelligence. aqua’s AI copilot can make entire test cases from a description. Just think of key tests to cover a requirement, and aqua will create them for you.

Now that you’re aware of the methods to optimise time estimation in QA, why wait? Embrace aqua cloud to revolutionise your QA process. Say farewell to complexity as aqua establishes clarity in your workflow, enabling seamless testing for all team members, regardless of expertise level. Say goodbye to testing environment woes by storing detected errors efficiently and effortlessly manage scope changes with aqua’s comprehensive project scope storage. Make the shift to aqua cloud today and witness the transformation firsthand.